Companies seem to be increasingly struggling to keep their employees happy while more and more employees are dissatisfied with their workplace and looking for alternatives. The impact of an ever-changing unhappy workforce is starting to take its toll on the profitability of the organization, leaving the employer at a loss as to how to fix this.

So why exactly are so many people unhappy at work? And what can an employer do to keep their people from leaving?

To answer this question, let me ask you this one question. Have you ever observed two pieces of original artworks that are alike?

More? Or better?

Only manmade things produced in bulk are ever exactly the same. Original art pieces are all uniquely different and people are willing to pay far more for an original than a copy. They know that having one of a kind is much more valuable than having something that thousands of other people also have the same of.

The same is true about your workforce. Uniqueness and the ability to think outside the box are in most cases more valuable than obedience and blindly following instructions. Yet, in the workplace people are expected to fit into a generic mold and follow generic rules. Mostly, these rules and regulations were designed around the needs of the employer and cases where there were conflict or disagreement, punishing the masses for the mistakes of a handful of outliers.

All generically designed around the concept of fairness and equality for everyone, yet the source of unhappiness for most people, even if only on a subconscious level.

What used to be the burning issue during the French Revolution is no longer the main problem in the digital age. The primary need then was for people to be treated as equal. The primary need now is for people to express their creativity. It’s time to relook at what equality in the workplace looks like.

Same-Same, But Different

All people are not the same and they don’t have the same needs.

Treating everyone the same just because it is less administration to manage in the short run, is like refusing to service your car because it will mean a day of inconvenience without transport. Yet, we know that the temporary inconvenience, while your car is in for a service, saves a lot of inconvenience and money in the long run.

The same concept applies to employee needs. It might be more administration to cater for individual needs, but it will save a lot of administration and money in recruitment costs and loss of intellectual property by valuable employees leaving. And it will be more human.

Equal doesn’t mean identical

Fairness and equality do not mean everyone should be treated exactly the same. Fairness implies that each person is rewarded according to the value they deliver and their commitment level. The more value you add as an individual, the more you should be rewarded, regardless of your job description or how long you’ve been in the company.

Equality, on the other hand, implies that each individual is entitled to an equal share of resources. That does not mean that everyone gets the same resources, it means that each gets an equal distribution of available resources, depending on their individual, and changing needs.

One person might value extra leave days while someone else might appreciate training. Yet another might rather want a financial reward in the form of a bonus or increased retirement benefit. Each person, depending on where they are in their life has different needs. It is the role of the employer to make sure that they meet those needs if they want their employees to remain happy.